The ultimate reference for info-junkies, multiculture vultures, and trivia pursuers. Here's everything you need to know about the history, philosophy, art, literature, politics, and worldview of all the cultures of the world.

United States citizens are becoming citizens of the world. Just look at the front page of any newspaper, the travel schedule of any corporate executive, college curricula, high school reading lists, the advertising and fashion spreads that fill our magazines, and our computer screens. The global village has arrived. We're all connected.

World Access Is the first reference book guaranteed to fill in the gaps in anyone's incomplete education and provide a great time along the way. Packed with lists, brief biographies, statistics, and much more, this lively volume explores:

• the history of the world, from ancient Africa to modern China
• the philosophies of the world, plus what philosophy is, in case you wondered
• who's worshipping whom, from Jesus to Vishnu
• art and architecture from hieroglyphics to op art, from Angkor Wat to Chartres cathedral
• literature from its sparest (the Japanese haiku) to Its most expansive (the Greek epic poem, or would it be Ulysses?)
• how we act out, from Sophocles to Satyajit Ray to downtown performance art
• the music of our sphere, from Haydn's symphonies to reggae's beat
• the top ten languages of the world (not counting English)
• politics: You say you want a revolution? Or did you want peace in the Middle East?

Cutting-edge and fun to read, rich with facts and art and charts and bite-size nuggets of all kinds, World Access takes us beyond our own borders to the world at large.

Here are fun, invaluable explanations of terms and topics that are supposedlycommon knowledge--but which most people don't really understand. Perfect as aquick reference or simply for sharing with family and friends, this book willincrease understanding of all the latest buzzwords, scientific breakthroughs, and cultural references.

The Encylopedia of the Gothic features a series of newly-commissioned essays from experts in Gothic studies that cover all aspects of the Gothic as it is currently taught and researched, along with the development of the genre and its impact on contemporary culture. * Comprises over 200 newly commissioned entries written by a stellar cast of over 130 experts in the field * Arranged in A-Z format across two fully cross-referenced volumes * Represents the definitive reference guide to all aspects of the Gothic * Provides comprehensive coverage of relevant authors, national traditions, critical developments, and notable texts that define, shape, and inform the genre * Extends beyond a purely literary analysis to explore Gothic elements of film, music, drama, art, and architecture. * Explores the development of the genre and its impact on contemporary culture

PREFACE - This comprehensive, modem encyclopedia of surfactant products has been compiled with the cooperation of the major national and international surfactant manufacturers in order to give the user quick and thorough information on each tradename product that is included. Information from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets has been gleaned in order to make a complete profile on each surfactant product available from one source-this three volume compendium. Though sometimes limited by the information provided by the manufacturers, in most instances, the chemical ingredients, properties, form, applications, etc. of each product are discussed in detail. The use of surfactants pervades almost every chemical industrial concern- including textiles, paints, pesticides, foods, cosmetics, pharamceuticals, etc. We hope that because of the universality of surfactants, this reference work will be able to serve as a useful tool to the many chemical engineers and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her dedication and tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. When the temperature at which properties such as viscosity, density, surface tension; solubilities, etc. is not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would be glad to be informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

A basic book that addresses more than five hundred common cooking problems, The Cook's Problem Solver is organized to help chefs find solutions to cooking problems quickly and easily. Learn simple tricks to avoid dry biscuits, thin custards, soggy cakes, sticky rice, wilted lettuce, and curdled cream soups. Breads, cakes, and puddings will come out right every time whether they're made in a conventional or microwave oven. Advice is given on how to follow recipes, including the correct way to measure both dry and wet ingredients. Steaming, broiling, poaching, and other basic cooking methods are reviewed. Special attention is paid to microwave cooking and the variables that can affect cooking items in such ovens. The culmination of more than twenty years of cooking experience, The Cook's Problem Solver is designed to help novice cooks as well as gourmet chefs discover hundreds of practical ways to improve their recipes and avoid unnecessary mistakes.

PREFACE - This encyclopedia is an attempt to coordinate and unify practical information on plastic, polymer, and resin trademark products. These categories overlap, i.e., plastics are a subset of polymers, and resins are often, but not always, polymers. However, it has been our aim to give the user of this compilation fingertip availability to a large quantity of essential information about these products. This three-volume compendium has been made possible through the cooperation of the major national and international plastic, polymer, and resin manufacturers. The information provided here has been gleaned from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets, but the extent of the information provided for each product has been limited by the amount of data given to us by the manufacturers. Whenever possible and/or appropriate, we have given the chemical description, applications, form and color, general, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of each product. With the state of technological growth in these industries constantly increasing, this encyclopedia should serve as an important tool for chemists, engineers, and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. It should be noted that when the temperatures of properties such as viscosity, density, solubility, etc. are not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would appreciate being informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

PREFACE - This encyclopedia is an attempt to coordinate and unify practical information on plastic, polymer, and resin trademark products. These categories overlap, i.e., plastics are a subset of polymers, and resins are often, but not always, polymers. However, it has been our aim to give the user of this compilation fingertip availability to a large quantity of essential information about these products. This three-volume compendium has been made possible through the cooperation of the major national and international plastic, polymer, and resin manufacturers. The information provided here has been gleaned from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets, but the extent of the information provided for each product has been limited by the amount of data given to us by the manufacturers. Whenever possible and/or appropriate, we have given the chemical description, applications, form and color, general, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of each product. With the state of technological growth in these industries constantly increasing, this encyclopedia should serve as an important tool for chemists, engineers, and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. It should be noted that when the temperatures of properties such as viscosity, density, solubility, etc. are not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would appreciate being informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

PREFACE - This encyclopedia is an attempt to coordinate and unify practical information on plastic, polymer, and resin trademark products. These categories overlap, i.e., plastics are a subset of polymers, and resins are often, but not always, polymers. However, it has been our aim to give the user of this compilation fingertip availability to a large quantity of essential information about these products. This three-volume compendium has been made possible through the cooperation of the major national and international plastic, polymer, and resin manufacturers. The information provided here has been gleaned from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets, but the extent of the information provided for each product has been limited by the amount of data given to us by the manufacturers. Whenever possible and/or appropriate, we have given the chemical description, applications, form and color, general, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of each product. With the state of technological growth in these industries constantly increasing, this encyclopedia should serve as an important tool for chemists, engineers, and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. It should be noted that when the temperatures of properties such as viscosity, density, solubility, etc. are not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would appreciate being informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

PREFACE - This encyclopedia is an attempt to coordinate and unify practical information on plastic, polymer, and resin trademark products. These categories overlap, i.e., plastics are a subset of polymers, and resins are often, but not always, polymers. However, it has been our aim to give the user of this compilation fingertip availability to a large quantity of essential information about these products. This three-volume compendium has been made possible through the cooperation of the major national and international plastic, polymer, and resin manufacturers. The information provided here has been gleaned from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets, but the extent of the information provided for each product has been limited by the amount of data given to us by the manufacturers. Whenever possible and/or appropriate, we have given the chemical description, applications, form and color, general, mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties of each product. With the state of technological growth in these industries constantly increasing, this encyclopedia should serve as an important tool for chemists, engineers, and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. It should be noted that when the temperatures of properties such as viscosity, density, solubility, etc. are not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would appreciate being informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

PREFACE - This comprehensive, modem encyclopedia of surfactant products has been compiled with the cooperation of the major national and international surfactant manufacturers in order to give the user quick and thorough information on each tradename product that is included. Information from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets has been gleaned in order to make a complete profile on each surfactant product available from one source-this three volume compendium. Though sometimes limited by the information provided by the manufacturers, in most instances, the chemical ingredients, properties, form, applications, etc. of each product are discussed in detail. The use of surfactants pervades almost every chemical industrial concern- including textiles, paints, pesticides, foods, cosmetics, pharamceuticals, etc. We hope that because of the universality of surfactants, this reference work will be able to serve as a useful tool to the many chemical engineers and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her dedication and tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. When the temperature at which properties such as viscosity, density, surface tension; solubilities, etc. is not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would be glad to be informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

Recent scientific studies confirm that early miners only scratched the surface and that 75-85 per cent of the gold remains in 'them thar hills'.

PREFACE - This comprehensive, modem encyclopedia of surfactant products has been compiled with the cooperation of the major national and international surfactant manufacturers in order to give the user quick and thorough information on each tradename product that is included. Information from thousands of brochures, technical bulletins, and data sheets has been gleaned in order to make a complete profile on each surfactant product available from one source-this three volume compendium. Though sometimes limited by the information provided by the manufacturers, in most instances, the chemical ingredients, properties, form, applications, etc. of each product are discussed in detail. The use of surfactants pervades almost every chemical industrial concern- including textiles, paints, pesticides, foods, cosmetics, pharamceuticals, etc. We hope that because of the universality of surfactants, this reference work will be able to serve as a useful tool to the many chemical engineers and salespeople here and abroad. We want to extend our thanks to Roberta Dakan for her dedication and tireless efforts in helping make this encyclopedia as accurate and consistent as possible. When the temperature at which properties such as viscosity, density, surface tension; solubilities, etc. is not included, a standard temperature of 25 C is to be assumed. The information in this publication is reliable to the best of our knowledge. We would be glad to be informed of any errors or omissions so that these can be integrated into subsequent editions of this encyclopedia.

Philadelphia began, nearly a century before the American Revolution, as the colony of Englishman and Quaker convert William Penn. Founded in 1681 on the doctrines of the Quaker faith, the city in Penn’s Woods rose to prominence quickly, ultimately serving as host to the First and Second Continental Congresses, and the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall, key milestones in the birth of the United States of America. Benjamin Franklin and the other Founding Fathers convened in Philadelphia to sign the Declaration of Independence in 1776, a singular moment in world history celebrated one hundred years later at the International Exhibition of Arts, Manufactures, and Products of the Soil and Mine, better known as the Centennial Exposition, also hosted by the city. For a time, the fledgling nation’s capital was here, and throughout time, Philadelphia has remained front and center in any discussion of America’s time-honored history and traditions. As a project devoted to celebrating the decorated and emblematic past of this great American city, The Philadelphia Citizen’s Almanac: Daily Readings on the City of Brotherly Love showcases pinnacle moments in Philadelphia’s journey through time, along with little known anecdotes, facts, figures, and other lore. Included are essays on a wide range of topics, from John Adams’ account of the signing of the Declaration of Independence to Major League baseball’s encounter with the Phillie Phanatic, spanning every epoch in the city’s history from its origins and growth to the recent past. Every day in the calendar year includes a detailed look at a historical event that took place on that day, followed by a listing of events of consequence, and each of the twelve months concludes with an essay that elaborates on one theme. Begin the new year right by escaping a few minutes each day to retrace key moments in the life of America’s birthplace, the city of Philadelphia.

Many mythological traditions from around the world seek to explain the origins of the earth, human beings, and the forces of nature. This set examines the stories associated with gods and goddesses: their relationships with each other and with human beings; their faults, foibles, strengths, and special powers. It offers explanations of how the gods and goddesses gifted humans with life, water, fire, music, and dance. Nearly 220 essays detail gods and goddesses from around the globe: the Greek and Roman pantheon including Zeus, Neptune, Nike, and Aphrodite; Norse gods including Odin and Loki; Native American deities including Hunahpu and Xbalanque; and Egyptian gods and goddesses like Ra and Osiris.